Applications

GPS has a variety of applications on land, at sea
and in the air. Basically, GPS is usable everywhere except where
it's impossible to receive the signal such as inside most buildings,
in caves and other subterranean locations, and underwater. The
most common airborne applications are for navigation by general
aviation and commercial aircraft. At sea, GPS is also typically
used for navigation by recreational boaters, commercial fishermen,
and professional mariners. Land-based applications are more diverse.
The scientific community uses GPS for its precision timing capability
and position information.

Surveyors use GPS for an increasing portion of their work. GPS
offers cost savings by drastically reducing setup time at the
survey site and providing incredible accuracy. Basic survey units,
costing thousands of dollars, can offer accuracies down to one
meter. More expensive systems are available that can provide accuracies
to within a centimeter.

Recreational uses of GPS are almost as varied as the number of
recreational sports available. GPS is popular among hikers, hunters,
snowmobilers, mountain bikers, and cross-country skiers, just
to name a few. Anyone who needs to keep track of where he or she
is, to find his or her way to a specified location, or know what
direction and how fast he or she is going can utilize the benefits
of the global positioning system.

GPS is now commonplace in automobiles as well. Some basic systems
are in place and provide emergency roadside assistance at the
push of a button (by transmitting your current position to a dispatch
center). More sophisticated systems that show your position on
a street map are also available. Currently these systems allow
a driver to keep track of where he or she is and suggest the best
route to follow to reach a designated location.